1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacture of char-containing solid fuels and adsorbents, and more particularly, to combustible and adsorbitive articles which can be manufactured by blending comminuted char with an aqueous pulp of cellulose fibers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Charcoal is a solid carbonaceous material manufactured by the destructive distillation of wood and is utilized in such industrial processes as metal ore reduction, carburizing, and chemical compound manufacture. In its activated form, charcoal is in granular form as an adsorbent. When char is employed in adsorption processes, it is in powder or granular form and supported within fixed or pulsed beds, or contained within canisters. Although the need for such support would be obviated by the introduction of suitable binders, binders tend to coat and/or cover the internal pores of the adsorbent and thereby diminish its capacity and efficacy for adsorption.
Charcoal is also commonly used as a cooking fuel due to its substantially smokeless and flameless combustion. As a fuel, however, char is difficult to ignite due to the relatively high content of fixed carbon and the correspondingly low content of volatile constituents. Generally, combustible additives are utilized either during manufacture or at the point of consumption to promote the ignition of the fuel. Accordingly, a process for producing char-containing combustible articles and intermediate char-containing product which do not suffer from the disadvantages noted above, from available raw materials such as paper and paperboard, would also benefit the environment.
The inventor's prior application U.S. patent Ser. No. 08/274,785 is hereby incorporated by reference.